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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I read this book as a read-aloud and the writing is smooth and often melodious. The story of the Eskimo girl Miyax, or Julie as she is known in English, is about the end of the traditional way of living for the Eskimo. After marrying, she runs away intent on making her way to San Francisco and her pen pal Amy. Along the way she is lost in the Arctic tundra and becomes part of a wolf pack. The description of the wolves and their pack behavior, as well as the descriptions of how Miyax survives living off the land using Eskimo practices her father taught her are fascinating and actually keep you interested. The ending is thoughtful and though not a "happy-ever-after" finish, it is realistic and satisfying to adults. From a child's perspective they enjoy the beginning and middle of the story more than the end with reality intruding and providing a bleaker view of life and the pressures of change that the modern world can impose even in the Arctic.
I really enjoyed reading about how difficult life was on the tundra for the Eskimo for thousands of years. Beautifully written.
Honestly, this isn't my genre of book. I loved Hatchet, but survival AND the north, is not my favorite style of book. That being said, the writing is stellar, the pace is perfect, and my interest was kept high the entire time. I won't spoil it, but there was a loss in the book that felt devastating. It was a good, not great, book. However, just in terms of writing and research, this is a remarkable achievement.
This unusual story of a 13-year-old Eskimo girl who survives in the Canadian Artic by ‘joining’ a wolf pack won the 1973 Newbery Medal. Julie of the Wolves is set in Alaska in what seems to be the early 1970s.
Miyax/Julie (they all had two names, Eskimo and English) leaves an arranged marriage and sets out with some food to walk to her pen pal’s house in San Francisco. On the way, she learns self-reliance through the traditional ways, and finds her father.
Although it’s complimentary to the traditional Eskimos and their way of life: The people at seal camp had not been as outdated and old-fashioned as she had been led to believe. No, on the contrary, they had been wise. They had adjusted to nature instead of to man-made gadgets, and obliquely critical of the effect of the ‘gussaks’ on the Eskimo culture and society, there still seemed to me to be a bit of colonialism in the author’s presentation of Julie. Perhaps it’s only that the perspective is 40 years old.
Read this if: you’re interested in a period look at traditional Eskimo culture; or you’ve read Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf and want to try a fictional account of wolf life. 3 stars
Miyax/Julie (they all had two names, Eskimo and English) leaves an arranged marriage and sets out with some food to walk to her pen pal’s house in San Francisco. On the way, she learns self-reliance through the traditional ways, and finds her father.
Although it’s complimentary to the traditional Eskimos and their way of life: The people at seal camp had not been as outdated and old-fashioned as she had been led to believe. No, on the contrary, they had been wise. They had adjusted to nature instead of to man-made gadgets, and obliquely critical of the effect of the ‘gussaks’ on the Eskimo culture and society, there still seemed to me to be a bit of colonialism in the author’s presentation of Julie. Perhaps it’s only that the perspective is 40 years old.
Read this if: you’re interested in a period look at traditional Eskimo culture; or you’ve read Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf and want to try a fictional account of wolf life. 3 stars
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another middle grade adventure read win. I really enjoyed this story of Miyax and her struggle for survival on the frozen tundra of northern Alaska.
There is admittedly some problematic language in the novel, as the 1972 publication did use the term "Eskimo" to refer to Miyax and her language. This term is now considered derogatory. Additionally, I have discovered that some of the historical information is inaccurate and there was some blurring of lines with regard to tribal information in the novel. Some of the language and culture mentioned was not part of the Iñupiaq tribe's history (the tribe that Miyax is stated to be a part of), but rather the Yupik. As a result of these issues, I have deducted a star from my rating. Had it been written in a more recent time, I would have taken an even larger deduction. A reading of this book needs to be undertaken with the understanding that the cultural information is not entirely accurate.
As far as appropriateness for the intended audience, there is a need to be careful. There are some dark moments in this book that may not be appropriate for younger readers. Though a lot of the writing and word choice is appropriate for the 8-9 age set, the content is more appropriate for the 11-12 age set (and even then, there needs to be parental awareness of book content as some can be mildly traumatic).
Beyond the aforementioned issues, I felt like this story was a good tale of survival and resilience. I do wish that there had been greater accuracy, but it is an entertaining read. There is a good discussion of nature in the narrative, as well as a great continuing conversation regarding the "assimilation" of Inuit peoples into American society. Forced schooling, loss of language, and diminishing resources and cultural practices are all mentioned. Though not thoroughly explored, these inclusions do give a good early introduction to American history with regard to the treatment of indigenous peoples. These passages could help to stimulate a conversation regarding cultural mistreatment.
Though there are inaccuracies and the book was not written by an OwnVoices source, I still found it to be an endearing and entertaining read. It is unfortunately a product of it's era and does have some issues, but the emotional journey is a good one.
There is admittedly some problematic language in the novel, as the 1972 publication did use the term "Eskimo" to refer to Miyax and her language. This term is now considered derogatory. Additionally, I have discovered that some of the historical information is inaccurate and there was some blurring of lines with regard to tribal information in the novel. Some of the language and culture mentioned was not part of the Iñupiaq tribe's history (the tribe that Miyax is stated to be a part of), but rather the Yupik. As a result of these issues, I have deducted a star from my rating. Had it been written in a more recent time, I would have taken an even larger deduction. A reading of this book needs to be undertaken with the understanding that the cultural information is not entirely accurate.
As far as appropriateness for the intended audience, there is a need to be careful. There are some dark moments in this book that may not be appropriate for younger readers. Though a lot of the writing and word choice is appropriate for the 8-9 age set, the content is more appropriate for the 11-12 age set (and even then, there needs to be parental awareness of book content as some can be mildly traumatic).
Beyond the aforementioned issues, I felt like this story was a good tale of survival and resilience. I do wish that there had been greater accuracy, but it is an entertaining read. There is a good discussion of nature in the narrative, as well as a great continuing conversation regarding the "assimilation" of Inuit peoples into American society. Forced schooling, loss of language, and diminishing resources and cultural practices are all mentioned. Though not thoroughly explored, these inclusions do give a good early introduction to American history with regard to the treatment of indigenous peoples. These passages could help to stimulate a conversation regarding cultural mistreatment.
Though there are inaccuracies and the book was not written by an OwnVoices source, I still found it to be an endearing and entertaining read. It is unfortunately a product of it's era and does have some issues, but the emotional journey is a good one.
Miyax, die ihre Kindheit bei dem altmodischen Vater verbracht hat, kommt als Zehnjährige zum ersten Mal in Kontakt mit modernen Inuitsiedlungen. Dort nennt man sie Julie und verheiratet sie mit dem scheinbar geistig behinderten Daniel.
Als der, von seinen Mitschülern angestachelt, ihr Gewalt antun will, flieht sie in die Weiten der Tundra. Halb verhungert trifft sie auf ein Wolfrudel und lernt die Körpersprache der Wölfe in der Hoffnung, so etwas Essbares abzubekommen. Ihr Ziel ist San Francisco, wo ihre Brieffreundin Amy wohnt und auf sie wartet.
Doch je länger Miyax in der Wildnis lebt wie ihre Vorfahren und von den Wölfen akzeptiert wird, desto klarer wird ihr, dass die Welt der Bleichgesichter nichts für sie ist.
Durch die einfachen, aber poetischen Bildern wird auch dem Leser immer deutlicher, dass es diese ursprüngliche Natur zu schützen gilt, nicht aus rationalen Überlegungen, sondern um ihrer Schönheit Willen und aus Respekt vor dem Leben.
Wie aus dem verlorenen, zurückhaltenden und leicht quengeligen Mädchen Julie langsam die junge Frau Miyax wird, ist glaubhaft geschildert, ihr Weg zu sich selbst ist schmerzhaft und lehrreich und wunderschön zu lesen.
Autorin Jean Craighead George hat als Forscherin lange das Verhalten von Wolfrudeln beobachtet und kam so auf die Idee zu dem Roman. Das ganze lange erste Kapitel beschreibt, wie Miyax langsam Eingang in das Wolfrudel findet, erst danach erfährt man als Leser, wieso dieses Mädchen alles hinter sich gelassen hat. Dabei lernt man auch einiges über die Inuit.
Während mir besagtes erstes Kapitel ein wenig lang vorkam, war der Rest einfach so toll, dass ich am Ende ganz begeistert war. Ein tolles Kinderbuch für jedes Alter!
Als der, von seinen Mitschülern angestachelt, ihr Gewalt antun will, flieht sie in die Weiten der Tundra. Halb verhungert trifft sie auf ein Wolfrudel und lernt die Körpersprache der Wölfe in der Hoffnung, so etwas Essbares abzubekommen. Ihr Ziel ist San Francisco, wo ihre Brieffreundin Amy wohnt und auf sie wartet.
Doch je länger Miyax in der Wildnis lebt wie ihre Vorfahren und von den Wölfen akzeptiert wird, desto klarer wird ihr, dass die Welt der Bleichgesichter nichts für sie ist.
Durch die einfachen, aber poetischen Bildern wird auch dem Leser immer deutlicher, dass es diese ursprüngliche Natur zu schützen gilt, nicht aus rationalen Überlegungen, sondern um ihrer Schönheit Willen und aus Respekt vor dem Leben.
Wie aus dem verlorenen, zurückhaltenden und leicht quengeligen Mädchen Julie langsam die junge Frau Miyax wird, ist glaubhaft geschildert, ihr Weg zu sich selbst ist schmerzhaft und lehrreich und wunderschön zu lesen.
Autorin Jean Craighead George hat als Forscherin lange das Verhalten von Wolfrudeln beobachtet und kam so auf die Idee zu dem Roman. Das ganze lange erste Kapitel beschreibt, wie Miyax langsam Eingang in das Wolfrudel findet, erst danach erfährt man als Leser, wieso dieses Mädchen alles hinter sich gelassen hat. Dabei lernt man auch einiges über die Inuit.
Während mir besagtes erstes Kapitel ein wenig lang vorkam, war der Rest einfach so toll, dass ich am Ende ganz begeistert war. Ein tolles Kinderbuch für jedes Alter!
I'm going through our bookshelf and finding old children's classics that I've never read. Julie was one of them. I very much enjoyed this short, sad story of a girl and her relationship with a pack of wolves. The language was beautiful and Julie's emotional story resonated with me. I thought this book would be middle grade, but there is a rape scene that I wouldn't be comfortable with a middle schooler reading. Nothing extremely graphic but still a little much for the intended age range. 13+ should be able to handle it fine with discussion. Overall, a great story and look into animal body language and relationships between humans and animals.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A childhood book where I knew it was part of a series, but I never got a chance to find/read the others. I do intend to rectify that, though! This book definitely started my curiosity about Alaska, though.
Obviously, some of my trope preferences hold true even now. It involves a girl that learns to survive against the odds, and has a heavy dose of animal companionship. She's creative and independent, and grows to thrive in the wild. The ending is cyclical to a degree - as an "into the wild" type of book, it also has a "return to civilization" at the end. But it implies that there's going to be more than just that, and I'm curious to see if that narrative promise holds out.
As forewarning, it does have attempted rape - but it is handled sensitively considering the target age group, and it isn't in great detail. There is also dated terminology in the use of "Eskimo," but the book was written in the 70s, so I can't hold that against it as a product of its era. The proper term is "Inuit," though.
Obviously, some of my trope preferences hold true even now. It involves a girl that learns to survive against the odds, and has a heavy dose of animal companionship. She's creative and independent, and grows to thrive in the wild. The ending is cyclical to a degree - as an "into the wild" type of book, it also has a "return to civilization" at the end. But it implies that there's going to be more than just that, and I'm curious to see if that narrative promise holds out.
As forewarning, it does have attempted rape - but it is handled sensitively considering the target age group, and it isn't in great detail. There is also dated terminology in the use of "Eskimo," but the book was written in the 70s, so I can't hold that against it as a product of its era. The proper term is "Inuit," though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault